Whether you’re make sure never to be far from the water on your vacation, or want to challenge the waves for the first time, Israel has everything you could want––surf-boarding, wind-surfing, kayaking, sailing, parasailing, stand-up paddling, and more, at your choice of three seas: the Mediterranean, the Sea of Galilee and the Red Sea.
The water never goes below 17 degrees Centigrade (about 62 Fahrenheit), so you can enjoy water sports year-round and don’t even need a wet-suit, and winds are stable and dependable. The water is usually clear, which makes the experience even more fun and interesting.
In Eilat for example, you can see tropical fish and corals. The Mediterranean beach is sandy, which makes for better waves (and softer landings!). The Eilat beach is rockier and narrower, but the sea is quieter. On the Sea of Galilee a breeze shows up every afternoon, which kite-surfers (bring your own equipment) love. With these perfect conditions, no wonder Israel’s first Olympic gold medalist, Gal Friedman, was a wind-surfer.
At Caesarea, enjoy a break from touring the antiquities, shops and galleries to take a three-hour surfing course or a six-hour wind-surfing or 16- or 18-foot catamaran course, or try the hottest thing in water sports these days: SUP ––stand-up paddling. The minimum age is 10 years old; which means it can be a great way to surprise your Bar or Bat Mitzvah celebrant.
Another great idea for kids, especially those spending the summer in Israel with relatives, is a four-day water-sports summer camp at the nautical center south of Kibbutz Sdot Yam, near Caesarea. You can rent and purchase equipment (some sports require an instructor to accompany you) at all major water-sport centers in the Caesarea area and in Eilat.
www.wind.co.il